Fifth Republic

I've been caught in a relationship with a divorced man for eight years. We've broken up and reconciled too many times to count. In the end, I tallied ninety-four breakups and five divorces between us. One more would make it an even hundred, but I'm too exhausted to continue this cycle. The first breakup happened when I was giving him my virginity. Halfway through, his ex-wife called asking him to pick up some bread, and he simply left. The fifth breakup occurred when he abandoned me, newly pregnant, on the highway to comfort his ex-wife who was having complications with her own pregnancy. I ended up in a car accident and miscarried. He arrived at the hospital with his clothes disheveled. Despite all the pain he caused me, I could never bring myself to truly leave him. Our most recent divorce happened for an equally absurd reason. His ex-wife and their child were participating in a family reality TV show that required them to appear as a complete family unit. To protect his ex-wife's public image, he divorced me yet again. When filming wrapped, he called to discuss remarrying. This time I refused, because I'm going to marry someone else.

On our fifth anniversary, Alpha Liam gave me nothing more than a simple pack mark of protection. That same night, he held a bonding ceremony with his first love, the she-wolf Seraphina. I refused to accept it. He accused me of being irrational. “My bonding with Seraphina is for the future of the pack, not because I still have feelings for her.” “You’re only human. Shouldn’t my pack’s mark be enough? This was your final test, Elena, and you’ve failed.” I walked away. And he turned around and proposed to Seraphina. Five years later, we met again at an exclusive hotel designated by the Alpha Council. His pack was on the verge of becoming a major power, and he had Seraphina, draped in a moonlight silk gown, on his arm. When he saw me, covered in sand and standing ankle-deep in the hotel’s ornamental fountain, he frowned. “Elena,” he scoffed. “You looked down on my protection back then. Look at you now. I bet you can’t find a single pack in this city willing to take in a human.” “And don’t think this pathetic display will make me take you back.” I ignored him. My cub’s treasured moonstone, a gift he’d found while combing the beach, had slipped into the fountain. The little guy was beside himself, and I had to find his precious amulet.

Rhian was about to surprise her boyfriend on their fifth anniversary as a couple. However, she didn't know that she will be the surprised one, when she came at his office. He found her boyfriend kneeling down in front of his sister and asked her to marry him. What's worst, she is now pregnant with his child. She ran away when she found it out and went back to her grandparent's home. She then met a man in a bar and spent the night with him. She became pregnant and found out that the man she slept with is the same man that she is competing her grandfather's company with.

"Ms. Jones, the service to fake your death that you requested has been arranged. Here's the agreement. Please sign here." Isabella Jones glanced at the contract that the person placed before her. Client: Isabella Jones Cause of death: Falling from a mountain, eaten by wild animals. Unable to retrieve the remains of the body Time of death: One week from now One week from now would mark the fifth anniversary of her marriage to Samuel Grant. It was also the day she had planned to fake her death and leave him. Since that was the date it all began, it might as well be when it ended.

Annabel Rivers is known as the ugly fat girl in her school and happens to be the easy prey for bullies. She secretly falls in love with Frank Kingston who happen to be the popular kid from the richest family in Avalon. She stays away from him because he had bullied her when they were in the fifth grade, but in as much as she hates him for that, she still finds herself daydreaming about him. Frank happens to have a bet with his friends that he could sleep with her before prom and everything seems to work out smoothly as they were paired up to be partners for a practical in school. Now Frank gets close with Annabel and sees that she doesn't deserve what he was planning to do to her and that she had a beautiful soul which made him feel very free around her and tell her how much he hated his father for making him feel unwanted, little did he know that he was already in love with her, little did she know that everything started out as a bet. What will she do when she finds out?

On the fifth year of our hidden marriage, I died on the operating table of a hospital belonging to Allen Jones. Before I died, I called him ninety-nine times, begging for help. The last time, he finally answered. His voice was heavy with impatience. "Enough already. First, it's pregnancy, now it's liver cancer. Can you stop making a scene? I'm exhausted from work. "Mia, when did you learn to lie? Do you know how disgusting you are right now? "I'm warning you—if you keep this up, I'll divorce you. Don't even think about coming back home until you admit you're wrong." But this time, I could never go back. Just before the call ended, I heard him comforting Sadie with a gentleness he had never shown me. "Don't be afraid. The surgery will be over soon, and you'll be fine. Once you're out, I'll take you to see your favorite movie and eat at your favorite restaurant. I promised you, and I'll make it all come true." After he hung up, I called him for the hundredth time. He didn't answer. Later, when Allen saw my body on the operating table, he broke down completely.

On our fifth anniversary, Henry Judd—the guy who once swore he'd propose—rented out an entire mall for Cecilia Cheape's birthday. A diamond the size of a pigeon's egg sparkled on her finger. I'd been dumb enough to think it was meant for me. "Cece, I'm gonna give you a birthday you'll never forget," he announced, loud enough for the whole world to hear. Then he yanked the tab off a soda can and handed it to me. "Lulu, those gaudy things don't suit you. You deserve something unique." He slid the can tab onto my finger—his version of a proposal. Cecilia got the dream birthday. I got a piece of trash and a slap of reality. Later, when he found out I was marrying someone else, he got down on one knee with that same ring and begged me to say yes.

Note: This book has two stand-alone stories with happy endings. If Book 1 isn’t your style, jump to Book 2 at Chapter 69! BOOK 1: Adrian & Emily Blackwood "You look like a beggar; don’t bother me," Adrian Blackwood sneered when Emily St. Claire bumped into him after learning her husband cheated with his pregnant ex-fiancée. Little did Adrian know, he'd one day beg this hot divorcee for love. Emily thought she had it all—until she walked in on her husband moaning another woman’s name on their fifth anniversary. Shattered but not broken, she vows to dismantle the empire he built on lies. Enter Adrian Blackwood—the ruthless billionaire who bends the world to his will. “I’ll let you drain me dry,” Emily tells him, determined to reclaim her life and get revenge. But as passion ignites, revenge takes a back seat to redemption. Will their dark pasts consume them, or can they find love amid the chaos? BOOK 2: Vincent & Claire Everglow “I gave you everything,” Claire whispered, clutching her belly as the TV announced Vincent Everglow’s engagement to the world’s sweetheart, Layla Vanroe. Two weeks ago, Vincent knelt before her with a promise ring. “When I’m ready, I’ll marry you,” he said. But now, Claire is pregnant and alone, discarded like a secret. Vincent’s betrayal cut deep, but Claire swore to move on. So why does her heart betray her when their paths cross again? Why does Layla seem desperate to keep them apart? Love doesn’t follow rules, but when lies and betrayal threaten their fragile bond, Claire and Vincent must decide: will they fight for each other or walk away forever!

In the fifth year of our bland marriage, I receive a message that my husband has booked a hotel room with a woman. Within the next second, seductive pictures of me show up in the work group chat. In the pictures, I seduced my husband but failed. My colleagues in the group chat mock me by saying, "She gave Mr. Reed an ultimatum and forced him to marry her. He was forced to break up with the woman he loves." "Mr. Reed put up with her for five years. It only makes sense that he could no longer resist and decide to reunite with his lover." My sick father dies out of shock, yet my husband does not show up to his funeral. That night, I inform Belinda that I wish to divorce her son. "Back then, you told me that I'm Caleb's blessing in life. You said that he'd have endless success if we were to marry. "As long as I married Caleb for five years, you promised to pay for my father's medical fees. Now that the time is up, you should let me go too."

I lose a kidney after an accident, but my one-year-old son dies on the spot. The months after the accident are when I'm most depressed, but my CEO husband is by my side day and night as he cares for me. However, in the fifth year of our marriage, I overhear Yoel Lawson's conversation with a doctor. "It's bad enough that you deliberately orchestrated that accident to have Felicity's kidney transplanted in Rosa's body, but you even accidentally caused your child's death. Aren't you afraid Felicity will lose her mind when she finds out?" "We've lost our son, but we can always have another child. Rosie would've died without that kidney. I gave up my happiness to make it up to Felicity, didn't I? I'll make her conceive again this year—she'll be happier than anything else." Yoel's indifferent voice makes my head spin. I feel like I've been struck by lightning. It turns out he didn't spend all day at the hospital after my accident because of me—he was there to care for Rosa Shaw, his true love. I don't want to have another child with him. I don't even want him anymore.